Toilet design - national preferences

David WE Roberts · 2011-05-08T06:40:14+00:00

Travelling in the USA at the moment and the toilets over here are different from those in the UK but reasonably consistent.Firstly they are a much shallower pan than the average UK bog, and secondly they are generally viciously siphonic.In general terms I think I prefer them.Any delicate souls should look away now :-).......Firstly the broad shallow pan eliminates the "long drop" of the average UK pan and also avoids the large splash you tend to get when you deposit something impressive.The only down side is the habit of something floating into view between your legs as you sit there contemplating life.Secondly, the extra water held in the pan assists in the cleansing of the toilet bowl when you flush.This, coupled with the strong siphonic action, seems to generally clear the bowl effectively.However the siphonic flush is very aggressive - a fierce jet of water seems to be shot across the U bend which rips the contents of the pan away down the pipe work accompanied by a large roaring noise.This can be quite alarming where there is an automatic flush which attempts to detect when you have finished and avoid the necessity of you touching any handle or button.Especially alarming when you haven't even started ;-)So why are toilets so different in the USA?I suspect that they use more water in the pan, and so may fall foul of some old water board regulation.I suspect that the syphonic part may use mains pressure water, again falling foul.However they do seem to be a better overall design than the UK ones in terms of efficiently removing crap.The more mature and well travelled will probably also remember the French Colonial style of toilet which consists of a hole in the ground and a pair of porcelain footprints.These never seemed to catch on in the UK.They are probably also much better for you physically as they are closer to the natural way of doing things if you don't have modern plumbing.Less comfortable though, if you are catching up on the back issues of the Times.So...

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MM 15 years ago

That's because stupid, repressed, embarrassed parents cannot bring themselves to explain what the body consists of -- like eyes, nose, mouth, ears, brain, throat, tummy, willy, arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, toes, ....and in mummy's case, a vagina and a W-O-M-B ! There! You've managed to get that awful word out! Wasn't so bad, was it? Dab cold water on your face if it is still bright red with shame.

Yeah, like confusing him or her with toilet training, not eating with grubby fingers, watching out for traffic, and so on.

Never heard of books, have you?

Oh, sure! Look at the vast armies of repressed and intimidated children out there who have correctly had explained to them where babies grow. I really don't know how primary school teachers cope with all the terrible repression and intimidation. It is simply shocking that it's allowed to go on.

MM

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MM 15 years ago

Me, making things up? Yet you're part of the stupid crowd that wants to tell their child that babies grow inside mummy's tummy!

I'm "fixated", as you put it, because I get so angry when faced with such utterly obtuse flat-earth mentality as evidenced in this thread.

MM

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Tim Streater 15 years ago

Repressed, are we? Afraid of the effect that acres of *gasp* female flesh will have? Scared of showing a square inch of naughty flesh, are we?

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Tim Streater 15 years ago

You should go to your doctor about it and get it seen to. Obsessions are not healthy.

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Huge 15 years ago

For quite small values of "posh" in some cases; the room carpet was soaked in raw sewage in one place.

Yep.

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Huge 15 years ago

Phew, it isn't just me. (Although, I actually quite like swimming, but not in the sea.)

I don't mind walking down an empty windswept beach in the autumn, but I'd rather gouge my eyes out with a spoon than go to one of the Costas or similar to lie on a beach, sweltering and uncomfortable.

Beach holidays are the most boring thing known to mankind.

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John Williamson 15 years ago

So, *you* will tell *your* toddler, who can just about understand that there is going to be another member in the fmily shortly, that Mummy and (Probably) Daddy had a fun time, and now there's a baby growing inside mummy in a special place, not forgetting *all* the gruesome details about how the baby's going to arrive? Oh, and by the way, that's how

*you* got here, too....

Or will you just tell the tot the simple version that they can understand, and leave the details until they matter? Balancing the knowledge you want to impart to a child's ability to understand is a skill.

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MM 15 years ago

I'll see you there, then, since you seem to be re-visiting this thread a lot. Determined to get the last word, are you? I'd call that obsessive behaviour. You should go to your doctor about it and get it seen to. Obsessions are not healthy.

MM

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MM 15 years ago

Oh, it's YOU again!

MM

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MM 15 years ago

Especially anywhere around Britain, which still pumps raw effluent out to sea (not that far out, either) in some places.

Abso-ruddy-lutely.

The only thing nice about them is leaving early and going into the beautiful countryside.

MM

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Dave Liquorice 15 years ago

Carpet? Posh... And what do you expect when importing forgien toilet technology to China. B-)

The one or two times I stayed in "western" hotel in China they were the grubbiest and least looked after. OK the "traveler" places where basic with vinly tile floors, cheap but functional furnishings but they were clean and tidy.

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Huge 15 years ago

*grin*

The White Swan in Shanghai was one of the best hotels I've ever stayed in.

OTOH, the Hubin in Xian (the aforementioned place with soggy carpets) the worst.

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Dave Liquorice 15 years ago

being

Aye, I blame the Victorians, at it like rabbits behind closed doors but in public... bathing machines, one peice covers nearly every thing costumes.

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Clive George 15 years ago

I don't think you do know what and where the tummy is, because it's actually a rather vague word.

If I were to insert the missing "not" (my fault), would that make a difference? The tummy is not just the stomach. Indeed ask most people to point to their tummy, and they'll point to somewhere else.

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Clive George 15 years ago

Playing at civil engineering renders a beach visit more fun IME. But it is some years since I spent more than an hour or so on a beach, so take that with however much salt is necessary.

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Mike Barnes 15 years ago

Huge :

Agreed.

I'm pleased that that's not true for most people. If they're roasting on the beach, they're not where I am.

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Tim Streater 15 years ago

Yes. You need a small flow of water going to the sea, and a couple of small children to whom you can introduce concepts such as erosion, ox-bow lakes, and so on.

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Huge 15 years ago

Excellent point, and I agree completely.

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MM 15 years ago

If only you (and others here) could be bothered to check out some of the excellent books for kids on the subject (search on Amazon), you can be spared any embarrassment. Many of them have cartoon-style pictures for even young children to look at, designed by authors and illustrators who are obviously far more clued up than the closed minds I am seeing in this thread. Maybe this is the reason why the UK has such a problem with teenage and underage mothers and STIs. Maybe many young girls have their first period and think they're bleeding to death due to lack of information.

MM

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MM 15 years ago

But not where babies come from...

MM

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Toilet design - national preferences

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